Report to back move on police stops

A crackdown on police red tape could save millions of hours in bureaucracy every year and put thousand of officers back on the beat, an official report will say this week.

The long-awaited analysis by a former chief constable will recommend scrapping a form which police must fill in every time they stop someone in the street.

A leaked copy of the report by Home Office policing adviser Sir Ronnie Flanagan proposes a series of changes which would save between four and six million hours of police time, allowing officers to concentrate on crime-fighting.

Lengthy paperwork was introduced after the inquiry into the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence. The so-called "stop and account" form can take officers up to seven minutes to complete.

Sir Ronnie's report - due out on Thursday - is expected to say the form should be scrapped when people are stopped by police, but that it should be retained if an individual is searched. Officers should hand their business card to anyone they stop instead of being required to fill in the form, it will suggest.

"This review simply does not go far enough in cutting red tape and risk aversion in the police force. It copies our pledge to abolish the 'stop and account' form. But it does not follow our pledge to abolish the 40 question stop-and-search form and allow officers to radio in the basic details of a search which will be digitally recorded."

He added: "We have proposed that the Home Secretary should use statutory powers to impose on every force a national set of slimmed down forms which will save millions of police man hours. For some reason the review shies away from this tough measure."

The stop forms were designed to keep tabs on whether ethnic minorities were being unfairly targeted, and also to monitor the actions of individual police officers.

Tory leader David Cameron last week dismissed arguments that scrapping the paperwork would alienate ethnic minorities. He argued black and Asian youngsters would benefit most from a tougher regime as they were the ones being stabbed and shot.